KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 22 — Singapore will soon amend its constitution to ensure its future presidents can be elected from among the ethnic minorities “from time to time”, the republic’s Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong has announced.
Lee made the groundbreaking announcement during the island state’s National Day Rally last night, tackling the thorny subject of race and politics that many Singaporeans consider taboo in his prepared speech that was released fully to Singapore media after his health scare disrupted his address.
He also posted the issue on his official Twitter account, @leehsienloong, shortly before he had to step down from the podium.
“SG is a multi-racial society, so safeguard is needed to ensure that a minority can become President from time to time,” he tweeted.
Singapore, which touts itself as multi-ethnic has a population, is nearly three-quarters Chinese at 74.1 per cent, with Malays making up roughly 13.4 per cent, Indians 9.2 per cent and other races 3.3 per cent, according to a 2010 official census report.
The president is the head of state in Singapore and has authority over two major matters: reserves and appointments. Prior to 1991 when the constitution was revised to allow for direct elections through popular vote, presidents were elected indirectly by members of Parliament.
Singapore has seen three people elected directly as president through this scheme: Ong Teng Cheong in 1993, SR Nathan who won two terms uncontested, and incumbent Tony Tan who was elected in 2011.
In the prepared text of his speech announcing the impending revision, Lee said his administration has accepted in principle the recommendations of its Constitutional Commission that had been tasked to review the “out of date” criteria of the elected presidency and will be studying it further and will present a White Paper before tabling its proposal in Parliament.
Singapore daily Today reported Lee remarking on the strong support for meritocracy by Singaporeans, citing from a recent survey commissioned by its broadcaster Channel NewsAsia and the Institute of Policy Studies.
“This is the result of much toil and effort over decades. We brought people together. We acknowledged our diversity frankly and honestly. We did not pretend that race and religion did not matter,” the daily quoted him saying.
But Lee also said race is still a factor in elections, adding that minorities in Singapore must feel that they have a chance to be elected president or they will start asking if their country is truly equal.
Another danger is that the Chinese majority could become less sensitive to the needs of other races, Today reported Lee saying in his speech.
It added Lee saying that when the factors were all taken together, the economic, geopolitical and political challenges, as well as the increased threat of terrorism, pose significant questions for Singapore.
“Ultimately, what matters most is our resolve to hold together and fight to defend our place in the world,” he was quoted saying, remarking on the terrorism threat posed by the Jemaah Islamiyah network within Singapore.
“[The challenges] did not break us. We drew closer. Now we are at the threshold again, looking ahead to the next phase of our nation-building,” he was quoted saying as he outlined his vision of Singapore’s future.
